Cody Sun reflects beating CLG, talks Worlds qualifier vs TSM

In what proved to be one of their most demanding competitive encounters this season, Clutch Gaming secured another impressive triumph by overcoming their longstanding opponents from Counter Logic Gaming.

Following consecutive victories against FlyQuest and now CLG, the squad positions themselves to claim the final North American qualification slot for the World Championships. Their ultimate challenge materializes as a decisive best-of-five confrontation versus Team SoloMid scheduled for tomorrow.

WIN.gg conducted an exclusive interview with professional marksman Cody “Cody Sun” Sun immediately following their tension-filled success to explore how they conquered CLG after experiencing a devastating reverse sweep in Detroit.

How are you processing everything after such an emotionally charged match?

Cody Sun: I’m feeling quite positive overall. That series delivered exceptional excitement and competitive intensity. Our final game victory emerged from what appeared to be nearly impossible circumstances statistically.

What specific factors made that concluding match seem so unlikely to win?

CLG demonstrated superior teamfight coordination in standard 5v5 engagements. We committed multiple execution errors throughout the mid-game. When they secured two lane inhibitors simultaneously, our comeback probability dropped dramatically. Successfully avoiding another reverse sweep scenario brought tremendous relief and validation.

How did you mentally approach this rematch after the traumatic Detroit experience?

Despite that previous outcome, I recognized it resulted from our own performance deterioration rather than CLG’s inherent superiority. By the fourth and fifth games in Detroit, our decision-making had noticeably declined. I consistently reminded both teammates and myself that today’s result would depend entirely on our psychological preparedness. Maintaining strong mental fortitude became our non-negotiable requirement for competitive execution.

What specific mental conditioning techniques did you implement to maintain that competitive mindset?

Our coaching staff emphasized that experiencing a reverse sweep typically occurs just once throughout a professional career. The key lies in extracting meaningful lessons from that painful experience. You must internalize that profound regret of being moments away from series victory before everything collapses.

We concentrated on sustaining maximum concentration levels throughout the match. Preventing psychological collapse under competitive pressure became our primary focus.

What mental framework did you adopt entering the third game? Were you concerned about history repeating itself?

We focused exclusively on executing our standard gameplay, treating each match as an independent entity. However, once we began losing Game 3, our collective determination intensified significantly. I detected emerging desperation to avoid defeat and immediately intervened to prevent recurrence.

Do you believe anxiety significantly contributed to that particular game loss?

Absolutely. Additionally, our champion select phase proved substantially suboptimal compared to their composition. Their team comp offered simpler execution parameters and clearer win conditions. Recovery became exceptionally challenging after our early mistakes. For Game 4, I advocated for selecting a more straightforward team composition with balanced execution demands against their setup. This represented our optimal approach to secure victory through cleaner gameplay.

Tanner “Damonte” Damonte secured Qiyana in the final match. How critical was that selection to your success?

That pick provided multiple engagement avenues and outplay potential against their formation. We operated within our established comfort zones, which substantially enhanced our performance consistency.

Were you astonished that CLG didn’t ban Qiyana after prohibiting her in the initial three games?

We anticipated they might need to permit her availability. Since we demonstrated winning capability without Qiyana previously, they faced draft constraints preventing our earlier successful strategies. This strategic dilemma created her availability, enabling us to capitalize on the opportunity decisively.

What are your analytical perspectives regarding tomorrow’s decisive match against Team SoloMid?

Since the Regional Qualifier commenced, every participating organization, including ours, has demonstrated marked improvement in champion diversity and strategic discipline. FlyQuest deployed numerous targeted strategies against us yesterday. CLG nearly accomplished another reverse sweep today. I anticipate the TSM confrontation will mirror the competitive intensity we’ve experienced these past two days. Maintaining emotional equilibrium and concentrating on our gameplay fundamentals rather than reacting to their actions remains essential. Recognizing that dropping one or two games doesn’t eliminate series victory potential.

Essentially, we must prevent psychological tilt from determining the outcome.

How do you reflect on your team’s developmental trajectory throughout this competitive season?

This represents an profoundly moving competitive narrative. Last competitive split, our performance placed us ninth in standings. This split’s beginning presented tremendous challenges, with minimal statistical probability of playoff qualification. Yet we achieved postseason participation, then defeated TSM, and nearly overcame Team Liquid. This emotional evolution has deeply impacted both our competitive roster and dedicated supporter base.

We’re simply maximizing our performance within the current competitive context. Our journey has covered substantial ground with just one final best-of-five separating us from Worlds qualification. Securing that achievement would validate our entire developmental process, motivating continued maximum effort.

What symbolic significance would Worlds qualification carry for you personally?

It would represent tangible validation for all the intensive training, personal sacrifices, and internal team dynamics. If we qualify for the World Championships, it would demonstrate that every struggle proved worthwhile. Tomorrow promises another emotionally charged competitive day. Given our extensive progress, clinching victory to reach Worlds would feel like the appropriate culmination of our efforts.

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